The North Carolina State Highway Patrol said a man accused of leading NC Highway Patrol troopers on a chase that ended in a crash that claimed one trooper's life late Monday night has been arrested.

Trooper Samuel Newton Bullard crashed on I-77 in Yadkin County and died at the scene.

“Our Highway Patrol family is devastated by the loss of Trooper Bullard. We are struggling to find words that describe the hurting we feel right now,” said Col. Glenn M. McNeill Jr., commander of the State Highway Patrol, in a news release. “Trooper Bullard died as he was fulfilling his promise to the people of North Carolina, protecting and serving his community.”

Troopers said the chase began just before 11 p.m. when a black BMW failed to stop for a license checkpoint.

Another trooper terminated the chase after losing sight of Bullard’s vehicle and then found it wrecked near mile marker 80.

Authorities said Bullard's vehicle ran off the road and crashed into a bridge support column.

Troopers said the suspect in the chase was arrested around 3:30 a.m.

Dakota Kape Whitt, 22, of Elkin, is expected to face murder and other charges, troopers said.

Whitt is being held at the Wilkes County Detention Center in Wilkesboro, NC.